


An Empty Ultimatum

by cerulean_sin (am_bellanoire)



Series: The Captain and Her First Mate (Huma One-Shots) [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Deleted Scenes, Descendants 3 Spoilers, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 12:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/am_bellanoire/pseuds/cerulean_sin
Summary: Uma's heart literally stopped beating in her chest. She knew what she had to do. There was no getting around it. So she steeled her spine, strengthening her resolve and put on her best stoic, authoritative expression, and turned to face him squarely.“Me and Celia have twenty minutes until we leave. You and Gil are staying here.





	An Empty Ultimatum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nu_toamna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nu_toamna/gifts), [SerpensPrincess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpensPrincess/gifts), [Anjelicatheterrible](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anjelicatheterrible/gifts).

Uma could still feel her shoulders _burning_ from where Harry's hands had rested on them moments before as she stalked out of Audrey's room. The guards that would be escorting Hades to Auradon to revive the sleeping princess – was _everyone_ in Auradon a carbon copy of their parents or what – were on their merry way and when they came she would be leaving too.

It was weird, truly it was, to spend so much time wanting something, craving something, fighting for something, hating not having something and giving it up for something else that you believed far more strongly in. The Isle was a wreck. And though Mal had made her little apology, if one could call it that, crying the prettiest tears about the decision it had probably taken her no time to come to about keeping the barrier closed for good, Uma found that she really could not stay in the proverbial land of milk and honey. Not when her people were struggling for scraps, wasting away. She just could not. Not a bone in her body could convince her otherwise. She had truly meant it when she said the Isle was her home and she was not about to allow a tiny taste of freedom to make her forget that. Because then, well then she would become the very thing she despised. A traitor and a poser. She was no princess. She was no hero. And it didn't matter how brightly the sun shone here, how green the grass grew. If they weren't going to help the kids on the Isle from their gilded thrones and lofty castle walls then she would have to do so. On her own turf. The Isle would prosper if she had any say in it. 

But she had not counted on Harry volunteering to come back with her. No, no, her first mate hadn't _volunteered_ at all, had he? He had stood firmly in a decision that he hadn't even had time to ponder on. And that made her stomach churn in a sickening fashion. The fact that he would so selflessly give up his own chance at a better life just to remain at her side? He deserved so much better, he did, than to rot on the Isle with the rest of them. Both he and Gil did. And little Celia? Well, she wasn't crew and her father remained. She couldn't deny the little girl the chance to be with him if that was what she truly wanted. Celia had it good in the way parents went. Dr. Facilier actually cared about his kids. Always reminding them to get their cut. She was lucky. But when it came to her boys, _she_ spoke for them. Which was why she was adamant in her decision that they were going to stay right where they were. In Auradon. Where they belonged. 

“The dragonling said we've got about twenty minutes until we leave,” Harry announced jovially, swinging into his position on her left side. He always stood to her left so that her sword arm was free while Gil kept pace or two behind them. “Just enough time for me to hook our mate off of Jay's bicep, yeah?”

Uma's heart literally stopped beating in her chest. She knew what she had to do. There was no getting around it. So she steeled her spine, strengthening her resolve and put on her best stoic, authoritative expression, and turned to face him squarely. 

“Me and Celia have twenty minutes until we leave. You and Gil are staying here.”

The grin dropped from his face immediately to be replaced by a glare that would have made anyone who wasn't Uma quake in their boots. 

“Ye can't make me stay here.”

“I'm your captain," because clearly he had lost whatever was left of his marbles and forgotten, "You do what I say.”

“Ye can't make me do this. Ye'll have to kill me first. And if ye think Gil would stay just because Jay's good looking enough, maybe ye breathed too much sea water while ye were away.”

Okay, so he hadn't forgotten. In that moment he simply didn't give a damn.

“Harry.”

“Uma.”

His expression was the most challenging look she had ever seen on his face when he regarded her and for a moment it gave the sea witch pause. He had never blatantly ignored that particular tone before. Apparently tonight was a night for many firsts. But she regained her composure, setting her jaw and bracing her weight on both her feet, staring him down with a threatening expression that covered up the desperation that was pounding away at her heart like a thief trying to break into a fortress. 

“You deserve to be here in Auradon. That's what we worked for, that's what we fought for. That's what I left for. So you can have this. I don't want you to come back with me.”

“Ye think I want to be stuck here in Bore-a-don by meself without ye. Without our ship and our crew? Surrounded by these sodding _heroes_ with their pretty words? Yer crazier than me if ye think I'm gonna let ye leave me again.”

Harry look - “ Gods she was starting to fold, wasn't she? But his anger, it was something she had never truly been on the receiving end of. He had fully invaded her personal space, her back against a lily white wall. But rather than being intimidated – he could never frighten her, not really, even with his eyes blazing crimson and his hook dangling from his hand – she felt _guilty_ for even suggesting he stay.

“No! No. I've never went against yer wishes before but if ye think ye can tell me to let ye walk away from me again, ye've gutted yer cod. Where ye go, I go. And that's that. Else ye leave me no choice.” He leaned forward so that his lips were brushing the shell of her ear, his warm breath making Uma tense as a shiver went up her spine, “I'll gut the whole bleeding land, starting with King Ben and his precious parents. I'll run them through in their sleep and then there'll be nothing left for any of them to do but ship me back where I belong.” 

Yeah, he had her. Caught in a net. There was really nothing else she could say, was there? She had been wrong in assuming he would stay in Auradon. Even if her intentions had been what she thought were _right_. Short of allowing an unnecessary bloodbath to happen, she was stuck. But she just didn't have it in her to concede defeat. So she fixed her face in her best smirk, eased her shoulders off of the creamy wall and rolled her eyes. 

“You're a mess,” she drawled, but there was a note of petulance to the words that bled through against her will and Harry heard it. He had to judging by the way his face practicality melted into delight. He knew he had won this battle and he was positively elated. 

“Aye. But I'm yer mess, aren't I, captain?”

“What the hell am I gonna do with you?”

“Whatever it is ye want to.”

Before she could respond – and to be honest she didn't want to because every fiber in her was veering dangerously close to a _giggle_ and that would hardly boost her fearsome reputation – Celia came bouncing out of the room. She wore a brave smile but Uma could see the girl was disappointed and trying her hardest to hide it. She'd make a good pirate if she didn't have the whole soul snatching voodoo thing on lock. 

“Kinda boring to tell fortunes out here when they've already got _everything_,” she said with a shrug and the sea witch admired the little rascal's bravado. 

“You could have everything too, girl,” Uma said, something in her deciding to shift her focus from Harry when it came to coaxing at least one of their own to stay. She knew it would be futile though and Celia didn't disppoint, her tiny nostrils flaring as she threw a furiously incredulous look the pirate captain's way, recoiling as if she had been struck. It was the same look she had on her face when she had snatched that ember from Mal's hand and thew it into the fountain, giving no ounce of a damn that she had probably doomed all of Auradon in the process. Yeah, she would have made a swell pirate for sure.

“Without my dad? Yeah, no.”

“Looks like yer line's tangled, darling,” Harry chortled, seemingly over his ire now that he had backup in the form of a fiesty little shadow princess. Uma shook her head. She was trying to do right by her people and already she was making mistakes left and right. In that moment she found that she didn't envy Mal in the slightest. She would never want to be queen of anything, being a captain was already hard enough. 

“Fine. Go get Gil.” It was all she could do really to save face. And it was nice to see how both Harry and Celia snapped forward to do her bidding. Now that she was making _sense_.

The guards arrived twenty minutes later on the dot – punctuality was clearly a _thing_ in Auradon. They led the four – Uma, Harry, Celia, and Gil – to a long purple limousine. The license plate said 'MAL' in huge letters and Uma couldn't help but snort. The thing would look far better in teal or turquoise. 

Harry slung his arm around her waist and pulled her to him before either of them could step inside. Celia and Gil were already settled in the back, happily smuggling chocolates and cakes and candy into their pockets to save for later. Uma reflexively leaned into her first mate's embrace, knowing he was still irked with her even if he pretended not to be. Still didn't change that he liked having her close and didn't that just make her smile indulgently to herself. She hoped he understood though, eventually, that she was just trying to look out for him. Make up for her absence by giving him the world. Even if he was convinced his world was with her.

“Our ship awaits, captain,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek with a loud smacking noise that made her laugh. And then he took her by the hand and helped her into the back of the car as if it were a carriage and she wore a crown on her head. For all he knew, in his mind as twisted as it could be, she wore one. And that suited her just fine. The door was shut as he settled in beside her and the limo began its slow roll over the bridge. To the Isle. 

_Their_ home.


End file.
